The Legend of the Master Sword
by The Chuckinator
Summary: Link has been called to see Zelda, who has urgent matters to discuss. Ganondorf is back, and has unleashed the Twilight Realm upon Hyrule! Now Link, Midna and Zelda must go on a quest to find the Master Sword and break the spell of Twilight before the Twilight Realm overtakes Hyrule forever. A RP with UltimateLifeFormACYP.
1. A New Adventure

The Legend of the Master Sword

By The Chuckinator and UltimateLifeFormACYP

Chapter 1: A New Adventure

Link was riding Epona across Hyrule field towards Hyrule Castle. He had received an urgent summons from Princess Zelda calling him to the castle.

He had received the summons while in Ordon Village. The instant he had read it, he'd saddled Epona and she'd raced off as fast as she could, sensing her master's urgency. She had slowed since then, and now they were almost at Castle Town. He thought back to when he'd received the summons...

A new day had started and Link was in the village, taking care of Epona. He sighed and looked at her, wondering if he was ever going to go on another adventure soon. A few weeks had passed since he had saved the world from Twilight, and still remembered his adventure with Midna. He smiled at the thought and knew that he could still turn into a wolf at will also. Then he heard a hawk screech and looked up to see one of Princess Zelda's royal messenger hawks circling above him, he held out his arm and the hawk landed and stuck out its leg. He had taken the message from its leg and read it, then he'd saddled Epona as quickly as he could and headed out to Hyrule Castle.

"Keep it up for a little while longer, girl...we're almost there!" Link whispered to Epona who nickered and picked up her pace. He rode through the plains until they got to the castle, and saw the guards. Link got off and walked up to them. "Princess Zelda has summoned me." He told them. They nodded and stepped back as he walked back to Epona and climbed back on her. He rode her through the gates of the town.

Link sighed, wondering what was so urgent. He rode up to the courtyard and got off Epona, walking into the castle. Zelda was waiting for him in the throne room and smiled when she saw him.

"Link," she said. "I am glad you came. We have urgent business to discuss."

Link bowed to her. "Of course, my Lady. What is it we need to discuss?"

"There's someone you need to see that will explain."

Link looked confused as he saw someone else but then smiled.

"Hello, Link," Midna said as she walked up to him.

"Midna!" He said happily as he walked up to her. Then he noticed something. "You're in Imp form again...why?"

Midna sighed. "Ganondorf has come back, and he is going to unleash the Twilight Realm again. He also cursed me to become an imp again. We must stop him!"

Just as she finished talking, the sky outside suddenly darkened. Link stiffened, then ran to the nearest window. As he looked outside he called to Midna. "Looks like we're to late. The Twilight Realm has been unleashed."

"We need to find the Master Sword," Zelda told him. "It can break the spell of the Twilight Realm."

Link nodded. "I placed it back in the Sacred Grove after I defeated Ganondorf with it."

Minda nodded and smiled. "It looks like we're of on another adventure," she said. "You can still transform into a wolf, right?"

Link nodded. "Yes, I can."

"Great," she said, and looked at him. "Just like old times, wolf-boy."

Link smiled.

Zelda cleared her throat. "We should plan on how we will find the sword," she said. "Link, do you have any ideas?"

"If Midna will do it, we can travel to the Sacred Grove together and retrieve the sword once again," Link suggested and looked toward Midna.

"Sure I will," Midna said.

Link smiled. "Then let's go as soon as possible."

Zelda nodded. "We should leave soon. Get ready, and then we will go."

"Most likely we'll encounter dangers along the way," Midna said. "We'll have to be careful."

"Right. We'll be careful." Link paused. "I'll remain in my human form until we leave town; I'll transform outside. You can ride Epona, Lady Zelda."

"Thanks," Zelda said.

The three walked out of the castle and Zelda mounted Epona. They walked slowly out of town until they were out of the castle grounds. Link looked around and sighed, hoping that this quest would be worth it.

He closed his eyes and touched the stone that allowed him to transform. Before he did, though, shadows from the Twilight Realm covered him.

Link's hair follicles started itching before thick black fur shot out of his skin, covering his entire body. Muscles in his legs and arms started to stretch as they grew stronger. Bones fractured, snapping out of place before moving, physically changing his legs and arms to a different posture and forcing him onto four legs. His hands and feet started to thicken, pushing against each other as they merged into three digits, becoming paws. Sharp, thick black claws burst out of his feet as his fingernails and toenails vanished completely.

His body began to grow, causing the muscles in his abdomen to expand and ripple across his body, strengthening in mass and density. Internal organs shifted, twisting into new shapes. Link gasped in pain as he felt bones in his chest and torso crack, moving around and expanding, Suddenly, his ribs started to grow as the bones split apart and moved forward a little. The heart and lungs expanded in size, growing larger to support the new muscles in his body. Link's spine grew outward, causing his body to lengthen. A pressure built up in his tailbone and stopped when a tail pushed out of the back of his spine. His face started to change as the ears were tugged to the top of his head, becoming pointed and taking on a triangular shape. More bones cracked, pushing his face outward as his nose and mouth fused to form of a long snout. The teeth in his mouth started to fall out, causing razor sharp fangs to force their way through the gums. The nose at the end of his muzzle turned black, and his senses and instincts heightened. finally, the transformation stopped.

He stretched then turned to look at the others, barking to let Zelda and Midna know he was ready to go. Midna got on Link's back and the wolf ran off. Zelda sighed and followed them on horseback, ready to start a new adventure.


	2. Ordon Villiage

Chapter 2: Ordon Villiage

They made good time, and reached Ordon Village by nightfall. Link changed back to normal before they entered the town, and then he led Epona through the town entrance.

Zelda looked at Link and got off the horse. "What do you think we should do now?"

Link thought about it and looked at her. "Let's rest here for tonight. We'll head out in the morning."

Zelda nodded and they all went into an inn. A few minutes later, Link saw Rusl and gulped.

Rusl looked up at him and smiled. "Link my boy! How are you?" His eyes widened as Zelda walked in after him; Midna had taken her place within Link's shadow, as to not cause an uproar. "Lady Zelda? Welcome to our humble inn!" He winked at Link and whispered under his breath to him. "So, finally got yourself a lady eh?"

Link went beet red and stammered. "Wh-What? It's not like that Rusl! Haven't you seen what's happened outside?"

"What do you mean?"

Link sighed. "The Twilight has returned. Zelda and I are going to retrieve the Master Sword to stop it."

Rusl's eyes widened and he looked at Zelda, who nodded.

"It's true," she said. "Anyway, can we stay here for the night? We have to leave in the morning to start our quest."

Rusl nodded. "Of course you may Lady Zelda!"

Zelda nodded. "Thank you. Are there any rooms available?"

Rusl nodded and led them to adjourning rooms on the first floor. Link excused himself and went to bed Epona down in the stables.

Link joined them and walked into the room with Zelda. Rusl left them and Midna came out of Link's shadow, looking at them.

"So, do we have any plans?" She asked them.

"Well, I think that we'll need more than just the three of us." Link suggested. "We would have a better chance of succeeding in our quest if we had more help." He paused then. "But they would have to be told about you Midna."

"I agree," Zelda said. "Maybe Rusl could help, or someone else in the village. Do you have any suggestions, Link?"

"Rusl would be a great choice...I don't think there's anyone else in the village that could help though." Link told her.

Zelda nodded. "That's fine, then. You should ask him."

"He'll have to be told about me," Midna said.

"Right. Should we...tell him about my wolf form?" He asked her.

Midna hesitated and shook her head. "No," she said. "Maybe later, but not now."

Link nodded. "Alright." Midna returned to his Shadow as he opened the door and walked into the hall.

He saw Rusl behind the counter and walked up to him, sitting down on a stool. Rusl smiled, looking at Link.

"Hello Link. Can't sleep?" Link shook his head. "No, that's not it, I wanted to ask you something." Rusl looked at him. "What is it?" Link took a breath. "I, well Zelda and I both, were hoping you would consider joining our quest."

Rusl didn't even need to think. "Of course I will Link! I would be honored to accompany you and the Princess!" Then laughed. "To be honest, if you hadn't asked, I was going to in the morning."

"Well, then there's someone you have to meet." Rusl looked at him questionably. "Isn't it just you and Zelda though?"

Link shook his head. "No, there's one other person." He paused then spoke. "Midna, you can come out now."

Midna left Link's shadow and looked at Rusl, who had a startled expression on his face.

"Wha...What? Who...? What ARE you?" He stammered.

"Call me Midna," she said. "I'm one of Link's friends. It's okay, you can trust me."

Rusl calmed down quickly. "I..I'm sorry if I was rude. You just surprised me." He smiled and extended his hand. "A friend to Link is a friend to me. Hello Midna."

Midna nodded. "So, you want to help us? That's fine."

Rusl looked at them.

He nodded. "Yes, I want to help all of you." He looked at Link. "Are you going to ask anyone else?" Link shook his head. "No." Link yawned then. "Well, I'm going to bed. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Alright Link. See you in the morning." Link nodded, as he stood, Midna returned to his shadow. He walked to his and Zelda's room and walked in.

"What did Rusl say?" Zelda asked.

Link smiled. "He's going to come with us. He took meeting Midna very well."

"That's great," Zelda said, and yawned. "Well, I'm going to go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us."

"Good night Princess." Link bowed then stretch and yawned. "I'm going to bed as well."

She nodded. The two went to bed, looking forward to their quest to begin.


	3. The Quest Begins

Chapter 3: The Quest Begins

The next morning, Link was the first to wake up. He looked over at Zelda, who was still sleeping peacefully and smiled. Then he quietly left the room and walked to the stables to feed and groom Epona. Rusl saw him and walked out of the building to see Link feeding Epona.

"Good morning, Link. Is Lady Zelda still sleeping?" Link jumped and turned around.

"Rusl! You startled me!" He sighed and smiled. "Good Morning to you as well, and yes, Zelda is still sleeping."

Rusl nodded and spoke again. "We'll let her be then."

Link nodded. Then he thought of something. "Midna, why haven't anyone turned into spirits yet?"

Midna came out of Link's shadow and looked at him. "I have noticed that some have, and Gandorlf most likely is controlling them. We need to find the Master Sword fast."

Link saw Zelda walk outside. She looked at them and smiled. "Well, shall we be on our way?"

Link nodded. "Yes. I'll saddle up Epona for you Lady Zelda. Me and Rusl will walk."

Rusl nodded, then spoke. "I'll go get the things I packed up, along with some food packs that I put together for all of us."

Zelda nodded as Rusl went back inside the inn. A few minutes later, he came back out with some bags and sighed.

"Well, here are the packs. I'll be right back, I have to let my wife know that I'm going with you."

Link nodded. "Alright, we'll wait for you."

Rusl smiled and nodded, then ran off. He returned a few minutes later a slim package and a quiver of arrows.

"You have arrows?" Zelda asked.

Rusl nodded and gave some to Zelda. "Yes. These arrows and this bow are for you in case we are fighting and you are attacked and we can't defend you."

Zelda nodded, and looked at Link. "Well, shall we go?"

Link nodded. "Yes."

Zelda climbed up onto Epona's back and rode her from the stable as Rusl and Link walked alongside. None of them noticed the figure following them. They walked for miles until they were out in the open valley. Zelda turned around and looked at Link.

"What will you do when we get the Master Sword?" She asked.

"Use its power to dispel the Twilight." He paused then sighed. "Most likely though, It won't be as simple as retrieving it. If Ganondorf is really behind this, there's no way it will be that easy."

Zelda nodded and they continued on their way. A few minutes later, she stopped. "I have a feeling someone is following us," she said.

Link whispered to them under his breath. "I noticed a small figure awhile back. It's probably one of the village kids tailing us."

Rusl sighed. "It's probably that little scamp, Talo."

Link nodded. "I'm going to double back and surprise whoever it is." He turned Epona around, then went back a ways and saw Ilia.

Link had already headed back, so she wasn't able to tell him it was Ilia.

"Ilia," Zelda said. "What are you doing here?"

Ilia jumped then stood up guiltily as Zelda approached her. "I'm sorry Lady Zelda. I saw that Link had returned to the village after your summons, and this strange darkness worried me. When Rusl left the village with you and Link, I knew something was wrong. I wanted to go with you all to help all of you, but I know that Link and Rusl wouldn't have allowed me to come, so I followed all of you."

Link had stopped sneaking up to Ilia when he realized it was her, so now he walked up to her. "Ilia, you could have been caught by a monster and we wouldn't have known that you were in trouble."

Ilia sighed and turned to face Link. "I know that. But I want to help you, Rusl and Lady Zelda." She paused. "I know some healing and I can make potions. I can serve as the healer of this group."

Midna left Link's shadow and looked at her. "Why the hell do you want to join? This quest will be very dangerous."

Zelda looked at her and then at Link. "What do you want to do?"

Link sighed. "If we don't allow her to join, she'll follow us anyway. It's safer for her to be with the group." He turned to Ilia, who was staring at Midna with a look of blank shock. "Ilia?"

Ilia shook her head and tore her gaze from Midna. "Wh..What is it Link?"

Link sighed. "We're going to allow you to join the quest." Link paused and looked at Midna. "This is Midna. She's a friend of mine who helped me awhile ago."

Ilia looked at her, then smiled. "It's nice to meet you Midna."

"Nice to meet you also," Midna said.

Ilia then turned to the others. "So...what is the quest for anyway?"

"We need to find the Master Sword so we can get rid of the Twilight Realm," Zelda said.

Ilia thought about it and nodded.

"Alright then. Shall we continue the quest then?" Link smiled and nodded. "Yes. Let's go."

Zelda nodded and the four continued to walk as they headed towards the Sacred Grove. Eventually, they reached the chasm that they had to get across to reach the Sacred Grove.

"This path will take a few days to get across," Zelda said. "There will be enemies we need to look out for as well."

The others nodded as Link led the way. Link helped the others with his clawshots, carrying them across to ledges, Epona however, had no way across until Midna used her powers to bring her across at the insistence of Illa.

Eventually, they reached a large ledge and Rusl called a halt. "We'll set up camp here tonight,this ledge is large enough for all of us and it's getting dark. It's far to dangerous to traverse these ledges at night."

Zelda nodded. "That would be wise," she said.

The four set up camp and soon fell asleep. An hour later, a red and black portal appeared above them. Several large black monsters fell from it, right into the middle of their camp. They growled and lunged at the unsuspecting party. Suddenly, Link heard something and woke up. He gasped as he saw Twilight creatures attack, and yelled at everyone to wake up. Once everyone was awake, Zelda looked at link.

"What do you want us to do?" She asked as she drew her bow and arrows.

Link swiftly thought up a plan and quickly got over to Zelda, who he quickly whispered his plan to. "Buy me some time; I'm going to slip away from the battle and transform. My wolf form is the only way to defeat Shadow Beasts."

Zelda nodded and saw Link walk away, then started firing arrows at the Shadow Beasts. They hissed in pain but kept coming. A few minutes later, a large wolf jumped in front of Zelda, Rusl and Ilia, who were shocked to see a wolf. It snarled menacingly, showing its sharp fangs, and started to attack the Shadow Beasts.

Rusl's eyes widened as he recognized the wolf that had shown up in the village awhile back. _I thought it was a monster, but...it's protecting us!_ He thought. Ilia just stared at the wolf as it leaped for the Shadow Beasts' throats.

The wolf snarled and ponced on the Shadow Beasts, using its fangs and claws to rip their skin apart. They screeched in pain and tried to throw the wolf off but it was too strong. The wolf took down one of the beasts and jumped backward. It raised its head to the sky and howled as the beasts vanished, then ran off. Rusl and Ilia in a state of semi-shock but they quickly recovered. Link quickly ran back up behind them before they noticed that he was missing.

Zelda saw him and winked, then looked at Rusl. "Well, thanks to that wolf, we don't have to worry about an attack."

Rusl nodded, but was still shocked. "I remember that wolf appearing in the village once before, when this happened awhile ago. I attacked it because I thought it was a monster...Looks like I was wrong."

Link looked at him and gulped.

"We'd better continue on," Zelda said. "Those Shadow creatures could attack again and we have a long journey to complete."

"Zelda is right, let's go." Link said. Ilia looked at him. "Where were you during the fight Link?" Link froze and quickly came up with an alibi. "I was right behind you. I stayed put when the wolf showed up since he seemed to be taking care of everything."

Ilia nodded and they continued on their way.


	4. Skull Kid

Chapter 4: Skull Kid

They made it to the end of the ravine much quicker than Zelda had thought they would. Once they walked out of the ravine, a range of mountains could be seen blocking their path.

"It seems we need to get past those mountains," Zelda said.

Link nodded. "Yes, but there is a small path through them to the Sacred Grove, I can lead all of you through it.

Everyone looked at him and nodded.

"How long will that take?" Zelda asked.

"Not very long. It didn't take me too long to get through here the first time. Alone, I got through in a couple of hours, with all of you it will take a day at the most."

"Alright," Zelda said. She smiled and followed Link down the path, wondering what they would do when they reached the Sacred Grove.

Link had to use the Gale Boomerang to turn the two platforms that formed the bridge to get across the final gap in the path, then he led them down the path toward the entrance of the maze-like area that they had to get through to get to the deeper Sacred Grove. Once they got to the base of the path, it was nightfall. They rested at the base of the mountain and made a fire.

Rusl looked over at Link. "So, that's the Sacred Grove's entrance?"

Link nodded. "Yes," he said, sighing. "I just hope Skull kid isn't there like before..."

Rusl and Ilia looked at him, confused.

"Skull Kid?" They said together.

Link gave a wry smile. "He's quite the pest. The last time I came here, he sent hoards of puppets after me." Link chuckled. "Seems he wanted to play. When I finally caught up with him and knocked around for a little bit, he thanked me for the 'game' and disappeared."

"Interesting," Zelda said.

Rusl and Ilia looked at each other and then back to Link. Rusl spoke first. "So...er, you're saying that we might encounter this...Skull Kid and have to fight a hoard of puppets?"

Link nodded. "Don't worry though. The puppets are easy to defeat, you only need to hit them once or twice."

"That's...reassuring." Ilia spoke up. "Do you think, if Skull Kid is in the Sacred Grove, we could just ask him to not play a game with us?"

Link shook his head "He doesn't really give you that chance."

"What do you mean?" Zelda asked.

"He starts his 'game' the minute you enter the Sacred Grove."

Everyone looked at each other nervously and Midna came out of Link's shadow. "We'll have to be careful," she said. "Who knows what he'll throw at us."

Link nodded. "We'll enter the Sacred Grove in the morning."

"Alright," Zelda said.

She yawned and fell asleep, as did everyone else. Link sighed, thinking about the quest, before he too was overcome by sleep, and closed his eyes.

In the morning, Link woke up and everyone else did also. They packed up and headed towards the pass that led them to the Sacred Grove. The passage was long and narrow; hardly any sunlight came through and the mountains were tall. After about an hour of walking, the pass suddenly opened up into a large clearing that had many paths branching from it.

Zelda looked around. "Which way do we go?" she asked Link.

Link was about to answer when the sound of a horn stopped him. He sighed. "Great...he's still here."

Everyone stopped and looked at Link nervously. Suddenly, someone walked out from behind a tree, grinning.

Link looked down at the little person. "Hello, Skull Kid."

Skull Kid grinned. "It's time to play," he said.

Link sighed. "We really don't have time for this today. Skull Kid, but I don't think you're going to let us pass without a game."

Skull Kid laughed. "You know that's not going to happen! Let's play hide-and-seek."

Link sighed. "So, do you want all of us to play this game, or just me?"

"How about all of you?"

Link turned to the others. "Well? We'll get this done quicker if you join in."

Rusl shook his head and smiled. "I'm up for it."

Ilia just nodded.

"Sure," Zelda said. "So, what do we have to do?"

The Skull Kid grinned and pulled out a horn. He vanished from sight and the only thing that could be heard was the horn. Everyone looked at each other and followed the sound but were surprised when puppets started to attack.

Link quickly unsheathed his sword and spun with it, taking out all the puppets. "Everyone, keep moving, the puppets are going to keep coming. I'll take care of them."

They nodded and ran off, still following the sound of the horn. Link stopped, and faced the puppets, drawing his sword.

He quickly struck each puppet with his sword, each falling to pieces at the touch of his blade. They all ran onward, where they spotted the Skull Kid high above them on a tree branch. Without a word, Link drew his Bow from his seemingly bottomless pockets and fired an arrow at the Skull Kid, striking him squarely in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

The Skull Kid got up and grinned, "You found me," he said. "Thanks for the game." Then, he vanished without another word.

Link looked surprised for a second then he shook his head and smiled. "Usually, his games take longer than that. I guess he knew we were in a hurry." He smiled again. "I'm starting to like that little fiend."

Everyone smiled nervously.

"We should get going," Zelda said.

Link nodded. "Follow me, it's this way."

Zelda nodded and followed him. Ilia and Rusl did also. He led them through the last few twists and turns of the Sacred Grove's entrance and they finally reached the large gate that led to the Deep Sacred Grove.

Link sighed and opened the gate. He went inside and saw the Master Sword sitting in a pedestal. The others entered the gate but remained by the entrance, all of them sensing that this was a place that only Link should enter. Link walked up to the Master Sword, and laid his hands on the hilt. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, and then, grasping the sword tightly, slowly pulled it from the stone, hoisting it skyward.


	5. Dark Link

Chapter 5: Dark Link

A bright light shone from the sword and then it vanished. Suddenly, a dark energy surrounded it and Link screamed in pain, dropping the sword. A maniacal laughter could be heard and Ganondorf appeared.

Rusl instantly drew his sword and moved in front of Zelda and Ilia protectively. Link glared at Ganondorf then grimaced and rubbed his hands where the dark energy had scorched them, he noticed that his nails had sharpened to claws, but that was the only change induced by the dark energy and they quickly returned to normal.

"Ganondorf..." He spat out the name.

"Hello, Link," Ganondorf said. "I've been waiting for you."

Link let slip a growl that was almost a snarl. "Why the hell would you be waiting for me?"

Ganondorf smirked. "Did you really think finding the Master Sword would be that easy? I knew you would come find it, and I have plans that require it."

Link instantly stiffened, having also calmed down somewhat. "And what would they be?"

Ganondorf grinned and shot a bolt of energy towards the Master Sword. The energy hit it upon impact and the sword crackled with dark energy until the light surrounding it faded. Link stared at it in shock and glared at Ganondorf.

"What did you do to the Master Sword?"

"I have drained it of energy," Ganondorf said. "And you're next!"

He fired another bolt at Link, who screamed in pain and felt something being ripped from his body.

Link's vision blurred and he swayed as the dark energy dissipated. He blinked to clear his vision, then froze at the sight of the person standing before him. It was Dark Link. Link gasped as his alter ego chuckled and looked at him, then walked over to Ganondorf with a smirk on his face. He glared at Ganondolf, growling angrily.

"Ganondorf...what have you done?" Link snarled, the look on his face was of pure rage. Rusl and the others were shocked speechless by Dark Link's appearance.

Ganondorf smirked. "I have ripped your dark side from your body and made him a separate person. He will now serve me, and there is nothing you can do about it."

Link tried to step forward, but nearly collapsed instead. "We'll stop you Ganondorf, any way we can."

Dark Link laughed. "What makes you think you'll leave this place alive to try?" He paused, then looked over at Ganondorf. "Well? Do I have your permission to end them all here?"

"Of course."

Dark Link smirked, and what appeared to be a black Master Sword appeared in his hand. He lunged at Link, and the two began to fight.

Link quickly rolled to the side and grabbed the powerless Master Sword, quickly bringing it up to parry Dark Link's attack, and pushing him away, He jumped to his feet while Dark Link regained his footing, and the two began to circle each other. They tightened their grips on the sword they were holding, and took a step forward. Link swung his sword toward Dark Link but was blocked by his foe's blade. Dark Link whirled around and hit Link in the back, knocking him to the ground. He put his sword to Link's neck, ready to cut it open.

Link froze, the sword too close to his neck to allow movement. Dark Link smirked again. "This is all the great Hero of Time has to offer? Pathetic." He was too caught up in taunting Link, and didn't notice Zelda drawing her bow.

She fired and he took an arrow to the knee. Dark Link yelled in pain and glared at Zelda, pulling the arrow out of his knee and turned back to Link, drawing blood on his neck as the sword dug into his skin.

Dark Link glared at Link. "Time for you to die."

Link smiled grimly. "Not today." He swiftly kicked Dark Link on the same knee that had been struck by Zelda's arrow.

Dark Link yelled in pain and stumbled back. Rusl ran forward and tried to strike him with his sword, but Dark Link's reflexes saved him as he jumped out of the way. He looked at them and growled, knowing he was outnumbered, and retreated to Ganondorf.

"We will meet again!" He yelled as he and Ganondorf vanished.

Link tried to stand, but he was to weak and he crashed to the ground.

That night, Link woke up and groaned. Epona had kept a constant vigil over her Master, and began to nuzzle him when he awoke. "Whoa Epona, take it easy girl!" Epona nickered and backed away as the others approached, alerted by her movement.

"Link! Are you okay?" Zelda asked, worried.

Link smiled. "Yes Zelda, I'm fine."

Zelda nodded as Link stood up, groaning. He picked up the Master Sword and frowned.

"What shall we do now that the Master Sword has been drained of its power?" Zelda asked.

Link looked thoughtful. "Maybe the spirits of light can help us." Rusl and Ilia looked confused.

"The Spirits of Light? Who..?" Ilia asked. Zelda looked over at her.

"The spirits are the guardians of Hyrule," Zelda told them, and then looked at Link. "That will work. We could find them and they could restore the sword's power."

Link nodded. "Then it's decided." Link tried to take a step, but nearly collapsed again.

Rusl caught him quickly. "You need to rest Link, we'll set out when you've recovered." Link looked as though he was about to argue, but then just nodded and laid back down.

Once the others had walked away, Link called for Midna. "Midna? I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" Midna asked.

"Why...didn't I turn into a wolf earlier when Ganondorf separated Dark Link from me with that dark energy? My nails turned to claws the first time, and that wasn't half as much energy as the second."

Midna thought about it. "I am not sure," she said.

Link just sighed. "Well, whatever it was that stopped the transformation, I'm glad I didn't transform, I didn't want Rusl and Ilia to find out about my wolf form that way."

"I know," Midna said. "Anyway, you better get some rest. We'll set out tomorrow."

Link nodded and lay down on the ground. A few minutes later, he was asleep.


	6. The Light Spirits

Chapter 6: The Light Spirits

Once again, the night passed peacefully, Link was the first to yawned and stretched, looking at the sleeping forms of his companions. A few minutes later, they woke up also and looked at him.

"Morning," Zelda said. "How did you sleep?"

Link yawned again. "I slept well. I'm fine now."

Zelda nodded. "Well, shall we get going?"

Rusl nodded. "Yes." He looked to Zelda. "Which Spirit of Light are we going to visit first then?"

"How about Ordona?"

Link agreed. "Ordona is closest, then Faron would be next."

Zelda nodded and looked at Rusl and Ilia to see if they had anything to say.

Rusl shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

Ilia agreed with Rusl. Link smiled and nodded.

"How long will it take us to get there?" Zelda asked.

"At least two or three days. Ordona lives in the Spring near to Ordon Village, so we're going to have to backtrack."

Zelda nodded and sighed. "Well then, we'd better get going."

Link nodded and went to saddle Epona, when he took a step however, his vision swam somewhat and he stumbled slightly.

"Are you okay, Link?"

Link smiled ruefully. "Looks like I haven't completely recovered yet."

Ilia spoke up. "Then you're going to be riding Epona until you completely recover Link!" Link began to object, but she cut him off. "And that's final!" Link shut his mouth. Ilia looked over at Zelda. "Is that alright with you, my Lady?"

Zelda laughed at Ilia's outburst and nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

Link glared at them both and climbed on his horse.

Ilia returned the glare twicefold. "Glare at me all you like Link, it won't change a thing."

Link sighed, then smiled and shook his head.

He kicked Epona and galloped off, heading towards the spring where Ordona was. Ilia, Rusl and Zelda followed him, hoping that they would get some information of how to get the Master Sword's power back. Link slowed from time to time to allow the others to catch up. Partway there, they encountered some Bokoblins, but made short work of them. They four companions traveled for miles. By the time night fell, Link had recovered and given Epona back to Zelda to ride. They slept that night without being attacked and resumed traveling in the morning.

A few hours later, they reached a mountain range and walked through it, hoping they would not get attacked by any creatures. This hope was for naught as several large Twilit Birds swooped down from above. Link yelled in shock as the birds landed in front of them. He thought about his wolf form and ran of as the others fought the creatures. Suddenly, a wolf landed in front of them and growled.

This time, Rusl and Ilia weren't surprised by the wolf's appearance and fought alongside it. Zelda nodded to the wolf and began to fire arrows at the birds. The wolf growled and lunged towards the birds, pouncing on them. It only managed to grab one bird, but it quickly got away but not before the wolf managed to land a few good bites, ripping out feathers. He growled, and to Ilia and Rusl's shock, a strange force field appeared around him. The wolf snarled at the birds as the force field increased.

The instant any of the birds fell within the force field's range, what looked like orange lightning appeared around them. The wolf howled and, leaping at a speed so fast it was nearly impossible to see, ripped through all the birds, killing them all at once. Once they were all killed, the wolf looked at its kill and let out a loud howl, then took off deeper into the mountain.

Link quickly ran up from behind the others and drew the Master Sword quietly, so that it looked like he'd been fighting.

Zelda looked behind her and saw him. "Link, I didn't see you there," she said. "We'd better get going to the spring. Where did that wolf go, anyway?"

Link smiled at her and mouthed the word thanks before replying to her question. "I don't know, it always seems to run off."

Ilia narrowed her eyes at him. She looked at Link, suspicious. Link seemed to notice and gulped.

"Anyway, we should get going, the Spirit Spring is about a half a day away." He said hurriedly.

Ilia nodded, and they walked off towards the spring. They made it there without being attacked again.

Link looked at everyone as he walked up to the spring. A few seconds later, the spring glowed brightly and a figure came out of it. Everyone gasped as they recognized Ordona.

Link sighed as he looked at Ordona, he could already tell something was wrong for the Light Spirit's image was dim and fleeting. "Ordona, your light has been taken, hasn't it?"

The glowing stag looked at Link. "Yes, The Shadow Beasts have come once more, and taken mine, Faron, Eldin and Lanaryu's Light. I know why you have come Link. You need our help to restore the power ripped from the Sword of Evil's bane." Link nodded. "Alas, I cannot help you until my light is recovered."

This worried Zelda and she looked at Ordona. "What do you mean? How can we recover your light?"

He turned to her. "Lady Zelda, my light can be recovered by defeating the creatures that have consumed it. However, they have become as insects."

Zelda looked at Link. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

Link nodded. "Yes, I had to search for and kill the insects last time to dispel the Twilight in each Light Spirit's domain. Link thought for a moment and looked at Ordona. "Won't restoring your light be enough to dispel the Twilight?"

Ordona shook his head. "No, this time, the Twilight is much stronger, we will only be able to protect the people within it from the Shadow Creatures and the effects of the Twilight Realm."

Link sighed and frowned, thinking. "Well then, will you at least be able to restore the Master Sword's power?"

The Stag nodded. "Yes, we will be able to do that. But you will have to restore our light to us first. The insects are larger now, and this time, they have gathered into a group, so they won't be hard to find. My light emanates from them like a beacon in this darkness."

Link looked relieved. _That's good...I don't have to be in my wolf form to find them then,_ he thought, and nodded. "Alright then, we'll find them."

Ordona dipped his head to Link. "Thank you Link." He flashed once, and a strange object appeared and floated down to Link, who took it. "Here is the Vessel of Light." Suddenly, Ordona stiffened. He was already beginning to fade as he left a warning to Link and the others. "Beware, a dark being approaches, one you've met before in battle..."

Zelda's eyes widened and she turned to Link. "Does he mean..."

Link looked grim. "Yes, I can sense him. It's Dark Link."


	7. The Vessel of Light

Chapter 7: The Vessel of Light  


Everyone turned around as Dark Link approached, holding his sword. He looked at them and laughed evilly. "Ha, the Light Spirit warned you did he? Well it won't help any of you!"

Link drew his sword and faced his alter ego. "That doesn't matter! We'll defeat you again!" He snarled at him.

Dark Link smirked. "Brave words; I can see why you bear the Triforce of Courage." He laughed. "That courage will be the end of you, Link!"

Link glared at him and charged as the two opposites began to fight. Link brought up his shield to deflect Dark Link's thrust, then swung at him from below. Dark Link quickly leaped in the air, landing on the Master Sword, he balanced there and smirked at Link, then swung at his head. Link ducked just in time and rolled, swiping at Dark Link's feet. The blow knocked him off balance and he fell to the ground but got up again, parrying Link's blows with his own.

They almost seemed to dance around the clearing, each matching the other, blow for blow. They swung their swords, only to be blocked by each other's blade. Link looked at his opponent with determination in his eyes, and forced them back. Dark Link growled angrily but held his ground. He disengaged and backflipped away from Link, then rolled around him, trying for a back slice. Link leaped to the side and whirled around, their swords clashing together once again. The two ended up in a deadlock and stared at each other.

Dark Link smirked. "Well, it looks like you've recovered fully."

Link growled at him. "Yes, I have. This fight won't be so easy this time!"

Dark Link just smirked, then he kicked Link in the stomach. Link doubled over in pain and glared at his enemy, dropping the sword. Dark Link smirked and picked up Link's sword, swinging both expertly.

He advanced on Link. "What was that you said about this fight not being so easy?" Link just growled at him. Dark Link's smirk grew bigger and he raised both swords above his head. He was about to kill Link when a figure shot from Link's shadow.

"Stop!" Midna shouted, and shot a bolt of energy at Dark Link, who fell to the ground in pain.

Link quickly grabbed the Master Sword and rose to his feet. Dark Link snarled at the little Shadow Imp. "You'll pay for that one, I assure you!"

Link walked toward him, his eyes blazing with anger. "Not today she won't. This fight is done."

Dark Link tried to raise his shield to block the attack he knew was coming, but his body felt like lead, the spell Midna cast on him had also paralyzed him. Link slashed downward, slicing his sword arm, then he stopped his blade at Dark Link's neck.

"I'm probably going to going to regret this later, but I'm not going to kill you."

"Why not?" Dark Link asked.

Link, still glaring at him, sighed. "Because, we're two sides of the same coin."

Dark Link's glared turned to shock, then he began to fade away as the glare returned and he replied. "I'll be back Link, and next time, I will defeat you..." His thoughts however, were not focused on his threat. _Two sides of the same coin...What does he mean? _He vanished without another word. Link sighed and looked at Midna with a smile on his face.

"You're welcome," she said.

Link's smiled grew wider, then Midna returned to his shadow without another word. He looked at the others and walked up to them.

"Are you okay?" Zelda asked.

Link nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit winded from the kick to the stomach."

Zelda sighed. "We better get going, then. What Light Spirit are we going to next?"

"After we restore Ordona, we should head to Faron's spring. He's the closest." Link told her.

"Alright, we should do that."

Link looked at her and nodded, then started to walk away. Rusl, Ilia and Zelda followed him. Link and the others soon spotted a glow in the forest and moved toward it.

"What is that?" Zelda asked.

Link gave a slight smile as he unsheathed the Master Sword. "It's the insects that Ordona told us about. They're the only thing that can glow in this darkness."

Zelda's eyes widened and looked at Link, who nodded and held the Master Sword out in front of him. The insects saw him and started to attack. He waited until they had surrounded him, then he quickly spun around, taking out half the insects with a single spin attack. The insects screeched and attacked again, lunging at Link. He swung the Master Sword expertly, killing the remaining creatures. Link smirked and sheathed his sword. A few minutes later, light surrounded the insects and was released into the air as they vanished.

Link brought out the Vessel of Light and held it in the air, all the orbs of light that had been released from the insects flowing to it. Once all the light had been captured, he put the Vessel of Light away and sighed.

He turned to the others. "We should head back to Ordona now."

They nodded and backtracked. Soon, they had reached the spring and saw Ordona. He looked at Link and nodded.

"I sense that you have recovered my lost light," Ordona told him. "Hold the Vessel of Light up to me, and I shall regain my light."

Link nodded and did so. The Vessel of Light flashed brightly, causing everyone to cover their eyes. A few minutes later it faded. Ordona's shining form was nearly impossible to look at now; his light, although not dispelling the Twilight, seemed to set the whole forest ablaze.

He nodded. "Thank you, Link. My light has been restored, and I can now protect the people that dwell within Ordon Village and my domain from the effects of the Twilight Realm." He blinked and looked down at Link. "Hold up the Master Sword, and I shall bestow some of my power to it."

Link did so, and Ordona poured some of his light into the sword, which began to glow slightly. He smiled as he felt the sword regain some of its lost power. He bowed to Ordona as he sheathed the sword. "Thank you, Ordona."

Ordona dipped his head. "You're welcome, Link. Now, you must go to Faron."

Link nodded as he stood up. "We'll set out immediately."

Ordona was beginning to fade as he replied. "May the Goddesses protect you."

Zelda watched Link as he swung the Master Sword and turned around, walking out of the spring.


	8. Fierce Deity

Chapter 8: Fierce Deity

Rusl walked over to Link and looked at him. "So, we're going to see Faron next right?"

"Yes; then we go to see Eldin."

Ilia voiced a question. "Where's Eldin's Spring at then?"

Link turned to her. "His spring is in Kakariko Village."

"Alright. Let's go."

Zelda climbed onto Epona's back, and they set off in the direction of Faron Woods. "How long will it take to get to Faron's spring?" She asked.

Link turned to look back at her. "At the speed we're going? At least a day. At most, a day and a half."

Zelda nodded and they continued to follow him. They continued onward, stopping at one point to eat. Eventually however, Link's sharp ears caught the sound of rustling undergrowth. He stopped moving and looked around, drawing Ilia and the others attention.

Ilia walked over to him. "Link? What's wrong?" He quickly shushed her and motioned for the others to be quiet, Zelda got down from Epona and slowly made her way over to him, closely followed by Rusl.

Zelda looked at Link, wondering what he sensed.

At her questioning look, he quickly whispered under his breath to everyone. "Something is coming. It sounds big."

They all nodded and drew their weapons as Link did too. He looked around, wondering it was that he heard. Suddenly, the rustling intensified and from out of the surrounding woods burst a large group of Shadow Goblins, closely followed by three Shadow Beasts. Zelda's eyes widened and looked at Link, who nodded and started fighting them.

He and Rusl leaped forward together and each took down a Goblin with a single strike, Zelda's arrow found it's mark in the throat of another Goblin while Ilia hung back, ready to provide healing aid in the event that one of them was injured. Link swung the Master Sword, stabbing the goblins in the chests and beheading them one by one. He fought ferociously, thinning their ranks as he and the others fought their enemy. The Shadow Beasts kept coming, also but soon the group found themselves outnumbered. Link finally killed the final Goblin, but he didn't notice the Shadow Beast bearing down at him.

Ilia however, saw it and shouted a warning that came too late. "Link! Behind you!"

Link heard her as the Shadow Beast knocked him to the ground. He managed to roll over, but the Shadow Beast held him down with one hand, raising the other above his head. He yelled in pain as the Shadow Beast clawed at his chest, wounding him. Suddenly, a glow surrounded Link and he began to change, growing taller. Marks appeared on his body, and a mask formed on his face. Link passed into unconsciousness as another entity awoke in his mind and took control.

Rusl, Ilia, and Zelda stopped fighting and looked at him in shock. The transformed Link threw the Shadow Beast from him and rose to his feet. His now pure white eyes locked onto the Shadow Beast and he advanced upon it even as armor appeared upon him and the Master Sword glowed, transforming into a large Double Helix Sword. He raised the sword above his head and swung it at the Shadow Beast, killing it with one blow. He turned and looked at the other Shadow Beasts, then walked toward them, his face remained expressionless as he cut down each one.

As the last Shadow Beast dispersed into particles, he turned to the others, who were still frozen. Ilia slowly stepped forward. "L-Link? Are you...alright?"

He looked at her. "I am not Link; he is unconscious but fine."

Zelda, along with the others, was in shock. Midna had even come out of Link's shadow and stared at him with a look of awe on her face.

"If you're not Link...who are you?" Midna asked.

He paused, not at all shocked by Midna's appearance. "Some call me the Fierce Deity. I will help you all in your quest."

Rusl started. "You know of our quest?"

"Yes, Link's memories are my memories as well," the Fierce Deity said, and paused. "I am going to give control to Link now; he has been unconscious this whole time, so he doesn't know of what has happened."

The Fierce Deity closed his eyes. A bright glow shone and when it faded, Link was back in control. Link however, was still unconscious. He swayed and began to collapse. Rusl jumped forward and caught him.

"Is he okay?" Zelda asked.

Rusl nodded his head and sighed. "That Shadow Beast clawed his chest bad, but he'll be fine after a few days rest."

Zelda sighed in relief. "What was that Fierce Deity thing about? Does Link have a split personality?"

Ilia looked thoughtful. "I don't really think that's the way to describe him. He seemed like a completely different person. If that is the case though, its reassuring to know that he's on our side."

"That's true," Midna said, and looked at Link. "We should stay here until Link recovers and resume our quest later."

Zelda smiled and then thought about the Fierce Deity. How and why had he taken up residence in Link? This was very intriguing. Midna suddenly remembered the conversation she and Link had had just after Ganondorf had attacked them, about why he hadn't been forced into his wolf form by Ganondorf's dark power. She flew over to Zelda.

"I have a theory," she said. "A few days ago after the fight with Ganondorf, Link told me that he wasn't forced to turn into a wolf by Ganondorf. I think the Fierce Deity may have prevented the transformation somehow."

Zelda looked at her curiously. "That's...interesting."

Midna nodded and looked back at Link, hoping he would be okay. They would have to ask him about the Fierce Deity when he woke up. They made camp and Ilia tended to Link's wounds as Epona once again stood vigil by her master. Rusl stood guard and Zelda got some sleep.

Midna came out of Link's shadow and looked at Ilia. "How long do you think Link will be unconscious?"

She sighed. "Any normal person would be unconscious for at least two days, but Link? He'll probably be awake by tomorrow."

The imp nodded and went back into Link's shadow. Ilia frowned, hoping that Link would be all right. Eventually, Rusl made her go to bed, but he couldn't get Epona to move, he stopped trying after she nearly took his hand. Link slept peacefully through the night, and as the sun rose, he stirred. He groaned and sat up, looking around in confusion. Everyone was staring at him, and it was making him feel uncomfortable.

"Um...guys? Why are you staring at m-"

He stopped mid sentence as a voice suddenly spoke in his mind. _That would be because of me._

The Fierce Deity appeared next to Link and he looked at him in shock. Link stared at the Fierce Deity, wondering if he was seeing things.

"Wh-Who are you?" he stammered. Zelda looked at him.

"Link?" she asked.

He ignored her, and continued to look at the Fierce Deity, who smiled and began to speak.

"Don't be alarmed, Link, you're not seeing things. I am the Fierce Deity, and I am an ally."

Link swallowed. "Er...Nice to meet you." The Fierce Deity nodded. Link was wondering how he was here. "So...how are you here? And what did you mean by 'That would be because of me'?"

"I'm an entity that has taken up residence in your mind, and I saved you last night. A Shadow Beast was about to kill you, but I took over and killed it and the other Shadow Beasts. When I took over, you took on my appearance," the Fierce Deity explained.

Link was astonished. He gulped and nodded, then continued asking questions. "So, you're on our side? Are you going to help us on our quest?" Link didn't seem to notice the others staring at him.

The Fierce Deity nodded. "Yes to both questions."

He was confused. Why had the Fierce Deity taken refuge inside Link? It was interesting but Link needed an explanation. "Why did you take refuge in me?"

"I don't really know myself. I just awoke recently to find myself within your mind," he said.

Link blinked. "So you don't know yourself? What caused you to awaken anyway?"

"That Dark Energy that ripped your Dark side from you, I absorbed most of it, and it allowed me to awaken."

Link's eyes widened. _So that's why I didn't transform into a wolf... _He smiled and nodded his head in thanks. "Well...thanks for that, and for saving me."

The Fierce Deity smiled. "You're welcome Link." He gave a small smirk. "By the way, your friends are looking at you like you've gone insane." He vanished and Link looked back at his in embarrassment and gulped.

"Have you gone insane?" Zelda asked.

Link smirked and shook his head. "No. I was just talking to Fierce Deity, couldn't you see him?"

They all shook their heads, and Link sighed.

The Fierce Deity spoke from his mind. _Oops. Sorry, I forgot to mention that only you can see me._

Link replied with his thoughts dryly. _Thanks._

He got up and stretched and looked at them, ready to go. They nodded, and continued on their way.


	9. Kakriko Village

Chapter 9: Kakriko Village

The group traveled on, hoping to reach the next spring. Link told them it would take a few days until they did, and that was fine with the rest of the group. They made camp early when Link's chest wound began to trouble him.

Zelda looked at him in concern. "Are you okay, Link? What's wrong?"

Link sighed and shook his head. "No...it's this wound, it's starting to bleed and hurt again."

The Fierce Deity appeared next to him. _Link, if you want, I can take over while your wound heals._

Link thought it over. _I'll talk to the others about it._

"Talking to the Fierce Deity again, are you?"

Link blinked and looked over at Zelda. "How'd you know?"

Zelda shrugged. "Your face gets a trance-like expression when you do."

"Oh. I guess you'll want to know what we were talking about?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure."

"Well, he offered to take over while my wound healed. Would you guys mind it if he did?"

Zelda looked at the others, who nodded. "That will be fine," she told him.

Link looked over at Fierce Deity. _Well, do you want to switch now?_

The Fierce Deity nodded. _Yes._

Link closed his eyes and a bright glow shone from his body. When it faded, the Fierce Deity stood in Link's place. Zelda's eyes widened, as did Rusl and Ilia's.

"I'll allow control back to Link when he's healed."

Ilia and Rusl nodded. Zelda looked at him in awe and nodded. Epona approached the Fierce Deity cautiously, then nuzzled him. A brief look of surprise crossed his face, then he patted her gently as he questioned the others, who had by now relaxed. "Well, are we going to stop here, or continue onward?"

"We'll stay here for the night and then continue on in the morning," Zelda told him. "I am just wondering: does Link know what is going on when you are in control, or not?"

The Fierce Deity nodded. "Yes, he's aware of everything that's going on, unless he's unconscious when I take over."

"That's interesting."

Rusl suddenly spoke up. "Er...Fierce Deity?"

The Fierce Deity looked over at him. "Yes?"

"Is it alright if we come up with...a nickname for you? Calling you Fierce Deity is...kind of strange."

Link appeared next to the Fierce Deity. _I feel the same as Rusl. Well, what do you think? Do you mind?_

_No, I don't mind,_ Fierce Deity replied to Link while he nodded his permission to Rusl. "Yes, it's fine."

Rusl nodded and looked at Zelda, who thought about it. "How about...Oni?" She asked.

The Fierce Deity blinked, then gave a small smile. "I like it."

Link smiled too. _So do I. So we'll call you Oni from now on._

Zelda nodded. "Okay."

The newly named Oni nodded. "I'll stand watch tonight."

"That's fine. We'll head out tomorrow morning."

Oni nodded again, then went to stand watch. He sighed, wondering what would happen on this quest. If the Master Sword wasn't restored to power soon, then it would be useless. The night passed uneventfully for the group and Zelda was the first to awaken. She yawned and saw Oni resting. He stirred and woke, looking at her.

He rose to his feet and held out his hand to help her up. "Good morning Lady Zelda. If you're wondering why I was sleeping instead of keeping watch, Rusl took over during the night."

Zelda nodded. "That's fine. Is everyone ready to go?"

Oni looked around and saw Ilia waking up, then turned back to Zelda and nodded. "Yes."

She smiled and looked at them. Oni closed his eyes as Link took control.

A glow appeared around him, and when it faded, Link stood in Oni's place. "Well, let's get going then. We still have a ways to travel. We have to cross Hyrule Field to get to Kakriko Village."

Zelda nodded, and they set off.

"How long until we get there?" She asked as they walked.

"About a day." Link answered.

She sighed and continued to walk. They walked a ways until they came to Hyrule Field, and started to go through it. Halfway across, they were attacked by some birds, but Zelda and Link killed them with little trouble. The group continued to walk. It look a while but soon they had neared the end of the field; it was only a few miles to the end and then they would get to the village.

Link kept on the alert for anymore attacks from land or sky, but aside from a few Bokgoblins that they encountered, there were none. He heard nothing and sighed in relief as they weren't being attacked. Zelda and the others were looking around also. They continued onward, stopping at one point to eat and rest.

The sun was just beginning to descend in the dimming sky as they reached the gates of Kakariko Village. Just as they were about to pass through them however, Epona stiffened, then suddenly reared, nearly throwing off Zelda. Link rushed back and tried to calm her down. "Whoa Epona! Easy girl!" After a few minutes of struggling, Epona finally calmed down.

"What was that about?" Zelda asked.

Link shrugged. A few minutes passed as they walked through into the village. Suddenly, Link sensed something and looked around. His eyes widened as he saw Dark Link standing in front of him.

"Hello again, Link," he said.

Link pulled the Master Sword from its sheath and approached Dark Link. "Can't get enough of us, can you?" He shot back.

Dark Link chuckled and drew his own sword, holding it out in front of him. "Rest assured, I have seen enough of you to last me a lifetime." He raised his sword and began to mirror Link's movements. "My master wishes you dead, I'll see that desire fulfilled right now."

Link glared at his alter ego and lunged, swinging the Master Sword ferociously. Dark Link blocked it and the two began to fight. Link rolled to the left to avoid Dark Link's return slash and jumped up, countering Dark Link's next slash with his own.

The two ended up in a deadlock as their swords blocked each other. Link looked at Dark, and grinned. He then jumped back and charged, swinging his sword with ferocity that caught Dark Link by surprise. The Master Sword sliced his chest, and he grunted in pain. Dark Link fell to the ground on his knees and glared at link, then got back up.

"It'll take more than that to stop me."

Link smirked. He spun around Dark Link and kneed him in the back. Dark Link gasped as he felt the wind being knocked out of him and fell to the ground, groaning in pain. He struggled to stand up, glaring at his foe.

"I'll get you for that one!" He finally managed to rise, and as he did so, he grabbed some dirt, throwing it at Link, which got into his eyes. He blinked, trying to get the dirt out, but gasped and fell to the ground as Dark slammed into him and pinned Link to the ground. Dark Link smirked and brought his sword up, ready to kill his enemy.

"Any last words Link?" Dark Link taunted him. Link glared at him and began to struggle, then he stopped moving as Oni connected with him.

A bright glow surrounded Link and when it faded, Oni stood in his place. Dark's eyes widened but he kept his sword up and looked shocked.

"Link? What is this?" Oni smirked, then he threw Dark Link away from him and rose to his feet.

"I'm not Link, I am Oni, The Fierce Deity, and I won't let you kill Link!" Oni exclaimed.

Dark Link gasped in shock but overlooked it, tightening his grip on his sword. "So you won't let me kill Link? Well, I didn't ask your permission!" Dark Link leaped at Oni, who smirked again and raised his sword.

Oni blocked Dark Link's blow as the Master Sword transformed into a double helix sword. Dark growled in anger and swung again. Oni blocked his attack again, then he swung his sword at Dark Link. Dark Link barely managed to block the attack, which sent him skidding backwards almost a foot. He glared at Oni and charged again, swinging his sword wildly. Oni smirked and blocked each blow, then whirled around and kneed Dark Link in the back with such force that he gasped and dropped his sword, then fell unconscious. Oni put his sword away and looked down at Dark.

"What should we do with him?" He looked at the others over his shoulder.

They shrugged. Link appeared in spirit form next to Oni and thought about it. _I'm not sure about what to do either. But I don't want to kill him, Dark side or not, he's still a part of me._

_I understand._

Link looked at him, and then at Dark Link. _Why don't we just take him prisoner?_

Oni thought it over, then nodded. _That sounds fine._

Link faded away as Oni walked over to Dark Link. He began to pick him up, but as he did so, he noticed a bloodstained rag wrapped around Dark Link's arm. His eyes narrowed and he placed Dark Link back on the ground and began to unwrap his arm.

Oni saw the wound on Dark Link's arm and hesitated, then cut into the the wound, opening it up once more. Blood flowed from the wound as Oni picked him up once again and walked over to Rusl, Ilia and Zelda.

"What are you doing?" Zelda asked, looking at the unconscious form of Dark Link nervously.

"Link and I decided to take him prisoner." He paused. "The wound from their last fight is infected. I cut it open again to try and get rid of the infection, but It looks bad." He turned to Ilia. "Ilia, can you tend to it?"

Ilia hesitated, Then nodded. "Yes."

The Fierce Deity nodded and set Dark Link down. Ilia looked at him, and then treated the wound. Once she was done, Oni picked Dark Link up again and wrapped the bandage around his wound.

Ilia sighed. "The infection should clear up in a few days." Oni nodded. "Thank you Ilia."

"We should get going," Zelda said.

Oni nodded. "Alright." He paused. "Do we have any rope? We should tie up Dark Link, so he can't attack us."

Zelda shook her head. "Put him on Epona's back; I'll sit on her and watch Dark Link."

"Okay," Oni said. He did what Zelda said, and they started walking towards the spring.


	10. Zant

Chapter 10: Zant

Dark Link was still unconscious when they reached the spring. Oni and Link had switched by now, and as Link approached the spring, it began to glow dimly. A few minutes later, Faron appeared and looked at them.

"I have been waiting for you, Link," he said.

"So you know why I've come?" Link asked.

Faron nodded. "You wish to remove the Twilight, along with restoring the Master Sword's power."

"Yes." Link nodded. "We'll have to retrieve your light I assume?"

"Yes, you must do that also."

Link sighed. "We'll do that as quickly as possible."

Faron nodded and then vanished. Link walked back to the others then, and explained that they had to find Faron's light.

"So, what do we need to do?" Zelda asked.

"The same thing that we did for Ordona, look for the insects."

Zelda nodded.

Rusl stretched. "Well then, shall we get going?"

Zelda nodded, and they set off. They kept a sharp eye for the faintest glimmer of light. A few minutes late, the group saw an incest. Link smirked and drew his sword and the Vessel of Light. He slowly approached it, then when he was within striking distance, he jumped forward and sliced the insect in half before it could do a thing. Link grinned and the Vessel of Light absorbed the stolen light. The Vessel of Light flashed once, then returned to normal. Link sheathed the Master Sword and put away the Vessel of Light as he walked back to his friends.

"Did you get it?" Zelda asked him.

Link smirked and nodded. "Yes, but this time, we're going to have to search for the insects. They've spread out instead of staying in a group."

Midna came out from Link's shadow and looked at him. "We can do that," she said. "Where are they?"

Link looked at her. "I don't really..." Suddenly he reached into his pouch and pulled out a map. When he opened it, his eyes lit up. "Alright! Faron marked my map like last time!"

"Cool," Midna said. "Let's get rid of them, then."

Zelda looked at her, and then at Link.

Link noticed the look. "What is it Zelda?"

"Oh, I was just wondering how we could split up."

"Hm...That would make it go faster, but we only have one Vessel of Light."

Zelda frowned. "Okay, I see. Never mind, then."

"It's alright."

She nodded, and they all followed Link, looking for the rest of the incests.

They soon found several of the insects, which Link took care of easily. He absorbed their light into the vessel, and they continued on, looking for the rest. Soon, the group found the rest of the incests and Link smirked. The last of the insects had gathered into a small group, Link ran forward, and executed a Spin Attack by them, taking all of them out. He landed on his feet and absorbed their light into the Vessel, then turned around and headed back to Faron. Once he got there, Faron was waiting for him.

Link held the Vessel of Light up to the spirit. "We have collected your light, Faron."

Faron nodded. "Thank you, Link."

The light spirit closed his eyes and absorbed the Vessel of light then, when he did, he flashed brightly, blinding Link and the others. The spirit had recovered his light, and looked at Link, smiling.

Link smiled back, then he looked serious. "Can you restore some of the Master Sword's lost power, Faron?"

"I can try," Faron said, and reached out to touch the sword.

Before Faron could touch the sword however, a ball of dark energy shot between him and the sword. He and Link recoiled in surprise and looked to see Zant. Link instantly dropped into a battle stance as the others followed suit. Midna appeared from Link's shadow and glared at Zant.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Zant smirked, though it was unseen behind his strange helmet. "Ganondorf told me what you are up to," he said. "Along with Dark Link. It seems that you are trying to fix the Master Sword's power."

"So what if we are?" Link held the Master Sword before him, poised to leap at Zant at a moment's notice.

Zant grinned and chuckled. "I've come to stop you."

"I won't let you."

Zant chuckled and walked towards Link.

Link narrowed his eyes. "What are you chuckling about?"

Zant said nothing and held out his hand, blasting Link with dark energy. He screamed, dropped to the ground, and transformed into a wolf. Everyone except Zelda and Midna gasped in shock. Link heard this as he rose, and he looked over his shoulder at Rusl and Ilia, and barked at them.

Rusl and Ilia's eyes widened as they recognized the wolf; it was the same one that saved them from the creatures. They walked hesitantly towards it and spoke.

"L-Link? You're that wolf?" Ilia whispered. Link sighed and nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Rusl asked him. Link shook his head and barked. "Oh, so you can't talk...well, will you tell us later?" Link nodded.

Rusl and Ilia looked at each other in shock and then back at Link.

"Can you change back?" Ilia looked at him.

The wolf nodded. Just as he was about to do so, Zant interrupted them.

"You're not going anywhere," he said, drawing his sword.

Link turned toward him and dropped into a crouch, snarling as he did so. Zant chuckled and advanced towards the wolf. Link snarled again, then leaped at him. Zant chuckled again and attacked. Link grabbed Zant's sword between his teeth and ripped it from Zant's hand. Zant responded to this by jumping backward and throwing a ball of dark energy at Link, which he barely managed to dodge.

Rusl drew his sword and made as if to join in the fight, but he was stopped by Midna.

"Link can handle himself," she said.

Rusl nodded and stood back. Link jumped to the side to avoid another dark energy ball, but Zant had another ready and it struck the wolf, throwing him backward and causing him to howl in pain. Ilia gasped.

The howl woke Dark Link, who had been unconscious thus far. As his vision cleared, he heard Ilia's shout and looked to see her looking at a grey wolf that was struggling to its feet.

_What's...going on? Why...is she calling out Link's name but looking at that wolf...unless..._ Dark Link's eyes widened. "Link...is a wolf?"

He groaned and continued looking at the wolf, who growled and lunged at Zant, pouncing on him. The wolf lowered its snout and growled, showing its sharp fangs.

Zant glared at him. He chuckled and then vanished in a flash of light. The wolf growled in anger and then returned to its human form. Link sighed then turned around and walked to the others.

Rusl, Ilia and Dark Link all looked at him with shocked expressions; they didn't know that Link had the ability to transform into a wolf at will.

Link sighed again. "Yes, I can transform into a wolf." He paused. "I first transformed into a wolf when the Twilight Realm first covered Hyrule and I was pulled into it by a Shadow Beast, but back then, I was trapped in my wolf form even when I left the Twilight."

Their eyes widened in shock.

"Link, why didn't you tell us about it? And why can you transform at will now?" Ilia asked. Link looked over at her. "I wasn't ready to tell you and Rusl yet, but Zelda and Midna knew about it. Oni knows about it as well." Ilia and Rusl looked at Zelda and Midna, who both nodded. Link continued. "And my ability to transform at will is mostly because of Zant; he cursed me to remain in my wolf form forever partway through my quest to remove the Twilight Realm from Hyrule, but It backfired on him. I went to the Sacred Grove and the Master Sword removed the curse from me when I approached it. Zant had used a stone to curse me, but when the curse was lifted, The stone remained and with it, I can transform at will." He paused now. "But if I'm exposed to too much Twilight Realm energy at once, I'm forced into wolf form."

Now Rusl spoke. "If you transform into a wolf when you enter the Twilight, why aren't you forced into wolf form now that the Twilight Realm has completely covered Hyrule?"

Link shook his head. "I don't know."

They nodded, still interested in Link's wolf transformation. Dark Link had also listened to Link's explanation. Now a single thought was in his mind. _Do I have a wolf form as well?_

He sighed and walked up to Link, who looked at him curiously. Dark Link looked at Link, then looked at the rest of the group and sighed again as he turned back to Link. "I...want to ask to join your quest."

Link and the others all stared at him in shock, even Oni, who had appeared next to Link when Dark Link began to approach him. Finally, Link broke the stunned silence. "But, why?" Dark Link sighed. "Well, I never truly enjoyed serving Ganondorf, and Zant didn't even bother to try and free me, And besides," Now a small smile appeared on Dark Link's face. "Aren't you the one who said we're two sides of the same coin?" Link stared at him for a moment before smiling as well.

Now Dark Link turned his head and looked at Ilia. "And you, Ilia, were kind enough to treat my wounds, even though you could have refused. I...thank you for that."

Ilia shook her head, then smiled hesitantly at him. "You're welcome Dark Link, but how did you know that I was the one who treated you wounds?"

"I was still semi-conscious when you did so. But I slipped into complete unconsciousness afterword." Was Dark Link's reply.

Ilia blinked and nodded.

Zelda turned to Link. "What do you think? Should he join us, or not?"

Link looked at Dark Link and saw the earnest look in his eyes, and smiled to himself, then turned back to Zelda. "I don't see a problem with it. I think he should join us."

"Okay," Zelda said.

A few seconds later, Faron spoke. "Do you still want me to restore some of the Master Sword's power?"

Link turned to face the spirit and nodded. "Yes."

Faron nodded as well and reached out, then touched the Master Sword, causing a bright flash of light. When it faded, the Master Sword was glowing faintly, but the glow faded quickly. Link looked at it and knew that some of the power had returned, but only slightly.

He looked back at Faron as he sheathed the blade. "Thank you Faron."

The light spirit nodded and faded away.


	11. Eldin

Chapter 11: Eldin

Link sighed and turned back to the other people in the company. "Well, we should head back for Kakariko Village, that's where the next Spirit Spring is."

Zelda nodded. "That would be fine."

"Then let's go."

The others nodded and walked off towards the village. When they got there, they looked around. Link looked at Dark Link and cleared his throat.

Dark Link looked at him. "What is it?" "Why did you decide to join us?" Dark Link sighed. "Link, I already told you, I never liked serving Ganondorf, and I'm grateful to you all for healing me instead of killing me."

Link nodded and smiled.

"I just wanted to ask." Link paused then. "Dark Link, is it alright if we just call you Dark?" Dark Link thought about it, then smiled and nodded. "Yes. it's fine with me."

Link thought about something else, and then spoke.

"Dark, do you want to find out if you have a wolf form?"

Dark smirked and nodded. "Sounds good."

Link smiled, then thought of something. He connected with Oni. _Do you want to find out as well? You might have a wolf form too._

Oni appeared next to Link and nodded. _Yes, I would like to find out, we'll have to switch though._

Link blinked and turned back to Dark. "Oni wishes to find out if he has a wolf form as well, so he and I are going to switch." Dark nodded. "Ok."

A bright glow surrounded Link, and he let Oni take control. The glow faded and Oni opened his eyes. "So, how will we transform?"

Link appeared next to Oni and gestured to the pouch he wore at his side. _The Twilight Shard that I carry with me, touch it._

Oni nodded and turned to Dark as he opened the pouch and looked for the stone. "Link says to touch the Twilight Shard."

Dark hesitated and did so. Immediately, he started to transform. His hair follicles started itching before thick black fur shot out of his skin, covering his entire body. Muscles in his legs and arms started to stretch as they grew stronger. Bones fractured, snapping out of place before moving, physically changing his legs and arms to a different posture and forcing him onto four legs. His hands and feet started to thicken, pushing against each other as they merged into three digits, becoming paws. Sharp, thick black claws burst out of his feet as his fingernails and toenails vanished completely.

His body began to grow, causing the muscles in his abdomen to expand and ripple across his body, strengthening in mass and density. Internal organs shifted, twisting into new shapes. Dark gasped in pain as he felt bones in his chest and torso crack, moving around and expanding, Suddenly, his ribs started to grow as the bones split apart and moved forward a little. The heart and lungs expanded in size, growing larger to support the new muscles in his body. Dark's spine grew outward, causing his body to lengthen. A pressure built up in his tailbone and stopped when a tail pushed out of the back of his spine. His face started to change as the ears were tugged to the top of his head, becoming pointed and taking on a triangular shape. More bones cracked, pushing his face outward as his nose and mouth fused to form of a long snout. The teeth in his mouth started to fall out, causing razor sharp fangs to force their way through the gums. The nose at the end of his muzzle turned black, and his senses and instincts heightened. Finally, the color of his eyes changed to a golden-yellow.

Oni smirked. "Looks like you do have a wolf form."

Link looked at Oni. _He looks just like I do in wolf form, but his fur is darker._

Dark shook himself, then stretched and looked over himself. He turned back to Oni and barked at him as he gestured at the Twilight Shard with his nose.

"Yes, I'm going to touch it now." Oni sighed, then he reached into the pouch and brushed the stone with his fingers.

A few minutes later, he had transformed into a wolf. He howled, then stretched. He caught sight of Dark staring at him along with everyone else including a Spirit form Wolf Link. "What is it, Dark, Link?" Zelda and the others only heard a bark.

Dark shook his head then answered him. "Oni, you have two tails!"

Link sighed. _And you're almost twice our size._

Oni looked behind him and was shocked. it was true; he did have two tails. He wondered why that was. He shook his head, then looked back over at Dark, noticing that he was larger than him. "Well, that's odd, but I don't really mind."

Dark sighed. "Well, I guess we should change back to normal before we enter the village."

They nodded and changed back to normal, then entered the village and went towards the shrine. Once they got there, another light spirit came forth.

Link and Oni switched back as Eldin's dim form materialized. "Oh, Hero chosen by the gods...I know why you have come...But before I can bestow my power unto the Master Sword, you will need to restore my light to me..."

Link nodded; he already know this but continued to let the spirit speak.

"Here...is the Vessel of Light..." Link caught the Vessel of Light, then listened as the Light Spirit continued. "Please, hurry...I am...weak...my light...has been away from me...for longer than Faron and...Ordona..."

Link nodded, and rushed off to recover Eldin's light. He pulled out his map as he hurried back to the others, but this time it wasn't marked. He sighed in frustration but shook his head and ran back to the group.

"What did Eldin say?" Zelda asked.

"The same as the others, we have to hurry though, he might not last much longer." Link sighed as he put away the map. "The map isn't marked this time though."

Dark looked at Link and smirked, then nodded. "We won't need a marked map, I can find the insects no problem."

"You can? How?" Zelda asked him.

"It's my connection to darkness, I can sense other beings of darkness."

Zelda nodded, and looked at Link. "He'll help us hunt the insects," she told him.

Link nodded. "I heard him." Dark sighed then. "But I'll need to be in wolf form for this, the light they absorbed is preventing me from sensing them as a human, but in my wolf form, I'll be able to do so."

Link nodded, then reached into his pouch and, careful not to touch it with his bare hands, drew out the Twilight Shard. Once he touched it, he transformed into a wolf, along with Dark. They howled and looked at each other, barking eagerly.

The others only heard barking, but Dark and Link were talking. "Alright Dark, where's the first insect?" Dark closed his eyes and sensed out the insect. He opened his eyes and pointed his muzzle towards Kakariko village. "Most of them are in the village."

Link grinned and nodded, then turned towards the village and ran off with Dark behind him. The others followed the two wolves and once they got there, Link and Dark saw the insects.

They growled, then ran forward and killed three insects that were huddled together near them. After they collected the tears of light that burst from them, they turned to see Zelda and the others looking mildly shocked. The two wolves ignored them and continued to look for the rest of the incests. Dark found them and collected the light. Once the wolves had killed every insect, they went back to Eldin's spring.

Eldin appeared again, but his form as very hard to make out. "Quickly...my...Light...restore it to me..." Link returned to his human form and held up the Vessel of Light, which slowly floated up to the spirit.

A bright flash of light covered Eldin, and then vanished. Once it did, the light spirit was restored to full strength.

The bird-like spirit stretched his wings. "Thank you Link...you returned my light to me just in time, any later, and I would have been to far gone to save." Eldin looked past Link to Dark, who was still in wolf form. "And I give my thanks to you, Dark, for helping Link to find the insects."

Dark nodded and turned back to his normal form also. Link took the Master Sword out and gave it to Eldin, who restored some of its power.

It was now glowing with a bright, yet fleeting glow, which faded after awhile. Link smiled as he felt the sword regain some of its lost power, the he sheathed it. "Thank you Eldin."

Eldin nodded, then as he began to fade, he spoke to Link. "Link, you must hurry to Lanaryu's spring, he is the weakest of us all, for his light was stolen first and he has been without it longer than I was without mine."

Link nodded, and ran off as the others followed him.

"Where's Lanaryu's spring?" Zelda asked.

"It's near Lake Hylia."

"That's not that far away."

"We can get there in a day if we keep up a fast pace." Link smiled.

"Alright," Zelda said. "Let's go."

Link nodded, and the group headed towards the next spring.


	12. The Final Light Spirit

Chapter 12: The Final Light Spirit

They followed Link's suggestion as set out a fast, but steady pace, eating while they walked. At the end of the day, they got to the spring and saw Lanaryu. This time, the light spirit was near impossible to see, and was very weak.

"Lanaryu? Are you there?" Zelda asked.

Lanaryu, barely able to speak, struggled to answer her. "Yes," he said. "My light...is almost gone. Please, take the Vessel of Light and get my light back."

Link nodded. "Alright, please Lanaryu, conserve your strength, we will return as soon as possible."

Lanaryu smiled and watched Link head back to the others, pulling out the map. The map was marked surprisingly, but the marks were near impossible to see. He looked at Dark, wondering if he could help.

"Let me guess, you need me to find the bugs again?" Link just nodded. Dark sighed. "Alright, I'll do it."

He turned into a wolf, along with Link, and the two wolves ran off to find the bugs that held Lanaryu's light. They found one of them quite near the Spring, and took it down quickly. Dark and Link looked around an found the rest easily. They killed the bugs and absorbed their light, then ran back to Lanaryu. The light spirit was nothing but a dim glow with a barely distinguishable form now, Link yelped, then changed back into his human form, nearly throwing the Vessel of Light at the fading spirit. He threw the Vessel of Light towards Lanaryu, who was bathed in light. When it faded, the light spirit was shining brightly, he was still somewhat weak though.

"Thank you," he said. "I can manage and my full strength will return to me in time."

He touched the Master Sword, which glowed slightly. Link gasped as the Sword flared with a bright light, when it faded, a bright, ethereal glow edged the Sword's blade, this time, it did not fade. He grinned, knowing that its power had returned.

Link looked to the glowing serpent and bowed. "Thank you Lanaryu, now, we can defeat Ganondorf."

"Before you go, Link, you and the Fierce Deity can split. Once Oni is separate from you, he will have his own body but he'll be a wolf forever," Lanaryu said.

Oni appeared next to Link and looked at the Light Spirit, who could see him. "Is what you say true Lanaryu?"

The Light Spirit nodded. "It is."

Link looked at Oni. "Well? Do you want to?" Oni sighed, then smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do. My wolf form may become permanent, but I don't mind. I feel...more at ease in that form anyway."

Link smiled. "Alright then."

He closed his eyes and a bright light shone from him. Suddenly, Oni stood next to him in his wolf form. He turned to Link and barked, wagging his tail happily. Link smiled, then slowly reached out and patted Oni on the head. Lanaryu spoke up then.

"He cannot speak now but I can give him the ability to do so. Or, if you wish, you two can speak to each other in your wolf forms."

Link looked over at Oni. "Well, do you want Lanaryu to give you the ability to speak?" The large wolf looked thoughtful for a moment, then he nodded.

Lanaryu shot a beam of light towards Oni. It hit him and vanished. When the white wolf opened his mouth, he spoke. "Thank you Lanaryu."

"You're welcome," the spirit said, and then vanished. Oni looked at Link and they walked back to the group.

Link looked to Zelda. "So? What do we do now?"

Zelda thought about it. "I am not sure. What do you think we should do?"

"I guess we should look for Ganondorf." was Link's reply.

They nodded and started out. While they were walking, Oni looked at Link.

Link looked at the wolf. "What is it?"

"I wanted to tell you why I'm helping you," he said.

Link looked surprised for a second, then nodded. "Go ahead if you want to."

Oni nodded and began to explain. "As you know, we started off as a split personality. I have seen your memories, and they are very similar to mine when I was alive."

Link looked surprised at this. "How so?"

Oni smiled and told him. "I used to be a hero like you."

Link's eyes widened. He spoke, wondering why Oni had the same memories. "So...why do we have the same memories?"

"I think it is because you may be a reincarnation of me."

"Really?" Link gasped.

Oni nodded. "Yes."

Link thought about it and grinned. "That's cool!"

Oni nodded and smiled. "So, where are we headed?"

Link was about to answer him when a loud explosion knocked him off his feet. The smoke cleared and they gasped as Zant appeared. Oni and Link ran forward to stand with the others. Zant laughed as Oni growled at him.

"You are brave but foolish," Zant said. "Soon, Hyrule will be mine forever!"

He cast a spell at Rusl, Ilia and Zelda, who transformed into animals. Link, Dark Link, and Oni gasped in shock. Zant laughed and teleported away. Rusl, Ilia and Zelda looked at their new bodies in shock. Rusl had transformed into a tiger, Ilia was a rabbit, and Zelda was an owl.

"Are you three okay?" Oni asked them. They looked at the wolf and nodded.

Rusl and Ilia both said they were fine, just dazed.

Oni smiled and nodded, then looked at Link. "Are their transformations permanent?"

Link smiled. "As long as we have the Master Sword, no." He walked up to them and touched each of them with the flat of the blade, causing them to change back to normal.

"That was interesting," Rusl said.

Zelda nodded in agreement. Ilia smiled and nodded also.

"So...what do we do now?" Link looked at Zelda.

"I am not sure," she said. "We need to go to Ganon and Zant but we don't know where they are."

Link sighed. "We'll have to search for them then."

Zelda nodded. "Where do you suppose they are?"

"I don't have a clue." Link sighed, then looked down at his shadow. "Midna, any ideas?"

Midna came out of Link's shadow and concentrated. "They are in Hyrule Castle," she said.

Link looked surprised. "Really? They're in the same place they were last time?"

"Wait..." Midna said. "They're just meeting there for now. They've gone to the Twilight Realm."

Link sighed. "Great, then we'll have to dispel the Twilight here to get to your Twilight."

"How will we do that?" Oni asked.

"We'll have to use the Master Sword...But I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it."

Oni thought about it and told him. "I remember a legend I heard once, about a island that floated high above the clouds, placed there by the goddess Hylia to protect the humans that had gathered there. It is said that before the Master Sword was complete, that was its original resting place. Maybe we have to take it there and place it there?"

Link thought about it. He smiled and nodded, looking at the Master Sword. "Then that's what we'll try."

Oni nodded and smiled. "First though, we'll need to get up there."

"How can we?" Zelda asked.

Oni thought for a second. "The people that lived in Skyloft each had a guardian bird called a loftwing, they would fly on their backs to reach the other islands that made up Skyloft. That might be out way up."

Zelda looked at Rusl and Ilia, who nodded. Dark and Link did also.

Link turned to Oni. "So then, where can we find Loftwings?"

Oni thought about it. "We might have to seek out the Three Ancient Dragons."

"Where are they?" Zelda asked.

"They each reside in a hidden place. Faron lives in an underwater cavern, Eldin a volcano, and Lanayru, a desert."

"We must go to each, then. How long will it take?"

"A good amount of time, possibly longer than it took to regain the Master Sword's lost power. Like I said, each of their domains are hidden, we can guess at the location, like Eldin obviously being somewhere around Death Mountain, but other than that, it will require a lot of searching."

The company nodded.

"That will be fine," Zelda said, and looked at Link. "What do you think?"

"It's the only thing we can do."

"Alright. Let's go."

Link nodded. "Since Lake Hylia is closest, I think we should head there first, Faron's Cavern might be there."

Zelda nodded and followed him, along with Oni and the others.


End file.
